Bombay HC issues notice over pollution at Goa's largest garbage dump

Bombay High Court

On Wednesday, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court issued notices to a local municipal corporation among others, over the accumulation and continued dumping of untreated garbage at the biggest open garbage dump at Sonsodo in South Goa.

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The Goa bench of the Bombay HC issued notices to Margao Municipal Council, Goa Waste Management Corporation and other local agencies. The High Court division bench comprised of Justices M.S. Sonak and Nutan Sardesai. The decision comes ahead following a petition filed by a green NGO called Goa Foundation along with an organisation called Citizens for Sonsodo.

The written petition filed by the Goa Foundation NGO had sought permanent removal of the Sonsodo garbage waste dump. According to the petition, the Sonsoda garbage waste dump poses a grave threat to the health of citizens in the vicinity of the site.

The petition also alleges that civic agencies as well as a private company Fomento Green, which was assigned the task of treating the garbage at the dump with mismanagement, which has led to the crisis in the state. The Sonsodo garbage dump, which is one of the biggest garbage dumps in the state is located near the town of Margao in South Goa district.

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Just a month ago, the accumulated and untreated garbage at the Sonsodo garbage dump had caught fire, thus causing fears of health hazard to the one lakh odd residents of Margao. The issue of the Sonsodo garbage dump was brought forward in the state assembly and was highly debated. But the Opposition in the assembly pinned the blame on the state government for not handling the issue pre-emptively.

At present, there is a conflict between Fomento Green, the agency which has been assigned the task of garbage handling at the dumpsite and the local civic authorities, with the former blaming the latter for not enforcing the 'garbage segregation at source' principles.

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